It is known to have endless belt conveyor assemblies that are side-flexing. Usually, this construction is made by providing apertures in the front and back hinge parts of a belt module perpendicular to the travelling direction. By overlapping the hinge parts of two adjacent chain or belt links, and inserting a transverse rod through the apertures, thereby connecting two adjacent links in a hinge-like manner, the two adjacent links will be able to flex relative to each other due to the ability of the rod to move in the elongated shape of the overlapping apertures.
Such prior art constructions are known from, for example, EP 427337, EP 1306323 and others.
Prior art conveyors with endless belts typically have a number of drawbacks.
When conveyors are to transport food stuffs, either in raw or manufactured form, there are varying degrees of hygiene requirements that must be maintained for all equipment involved in the processing of food stuffs. Especially for fresh food stuffs, it is important to have an extremely high level of hygiene in order to avoid contamination of the food stuffs from residue stuck in the belt construction, or from other sources arising from an inability to satisfactorily clean and disinfect the endless belt conveyor.
A serious drawback of conveyors of this type is the fact that, as the conveyors are loaded and going through a curve, a substantial force will be induced in the outer part of the conveyor belt where the main part of the tension arises due to the pulling forces propelling the endless belt conveyor. A number of solutions have been proposed where reinforcement plates, sometimes in the shape of steel plates, are arranged in the outer sections connecting adjacent belt links such that these steel links will transfer the substantial forces arising when such an endless conveyor belt flexes to one side or the other.
It has also been suggested to reinforce the transverse rods such that the rods will be able to transfer the load from one flexing link to the adjacent link. However, when the transverse rods are made from plastic materials, normal wear and tear results in a very limited life expectancy, which then results in increased maintenance costs and extended periods of down time for the conveyor. By replacing the plastic transverse rods with steel rods, as has also been suggested in the prior art, the wear and tear is transferred from the rods to the hinge parts that are integral with the links with the result being that, eventually, the hinge parts will be worn down and the entire link will need to be replaced.
Returning to the issue of hygiene, it has also proven very difficult to thoroughly clean the apertures in which the transverse rods are arranged. This is due to the fact that the apertures have a limited size, but still provide play for the transverse rods such that the side-flexing capabilities of the entire conveyor belt may be provided in a substantially effortless manner, i.e., such that no substantial friction arises in the hinge parts that could lead to heat generation and deterioration of the plastic material. This play, and the corresponding oversizing of the apertures, allows for foreign matter, for example organic residue originating from the materials being transported on the conveyor, to become lodged in various spots that will only be removed during the cleaning process if particular care is used. The residual organic material that is often left will give rise to bacteria growth, which may cause contamination of the articles transported on the conveyor belt which, in turn, might lead to serious complications for the end user.